Volodymyr Zelensky is not attending Friday's meeting with Vladimir Putin. US President Donald Trump thus closes the door to the possibility of the Ukrainian president's presence at the talks scheduled for August 15 in Alaska with the Russian leader :"I would say he can come," he added,"but he has been to many meetings, you know, he's been there for three and a half years, nothing has happened." No EU representative will be present on that occasion either. “I will be hearing from the Europeans and the Ukrainians immediately after” the meeting with Putin, Trump said while speaking to reporters at the White House, also emphasizing that the next meeting would be between “Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky” or between “Zelensky, Putin, and me.” Regarding the details of a possible agreement, Trump added that “there will be an exchange of territories, I know that from Russia.” The US president also said he was “annoyed” by Zelensky’s statements about refusing to cede territory.

"I'm going to tell Putin that the war has to end," Trump said, reassuring him:"I think the negotiations will be constructive." The American president described the August summit as "an exploratory meeting," claiming that Putin "wants to be involved." According to Trump, the Russian president wants to"end" the war: "I've said this several times, and I've been disappointed because I've had great phone conversations with him, but then missiles were launched into Kiev or somewhere else." European leaders “have overdosed” trying to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, Trump added: “That’s not a nice expression but it’s accurate, they’re tired and they want to go back to spending money on their countries – he stressed – my relationship with them is beautiful and they’re counting on me.”

Meanwhile, Brussels is still looking for a role at the negotiating table for peace in Ukraine. According to a source at the Elysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz"have taken the initiative to organize a video conference on Wednesday of the coalition of the willing to coordinate ahead of the meeting on the 15th between Trump and Putin." "Other video conference meetings will be held on the same day in different formats, particularly in the presence of Trump." According to Merz's announcement, a meeting will be held on Wednesday first between the leaders of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Finland, together with the EU and NATO leaders, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, followed by another with the American president and his vice president JD Vance.

On Sunday evening, the White House deputy president himself told Fox News'"Sunday Morning Futures" that the United States is working to arrange a meeting that includes the Ukrainian president. Vance does not believe it is appropriate for Putin and Zelensky to meet before the Trump-Putin summit on August 15. He did, however, suggest that a three-way meeting cannot be ruled out."One of the biggest obstacles is that Vladimir Putin has said he would never sit down with Zelensky, and now the Russian president has to change his mind," he said. Vance said the White House is working on"scheduling when these three leaders can sit down and discuss ending this conflict." That meeting will certainly not take place on Friday, as Trump confirmed today.

Meanwhile, European leaders have intensified contacts and are working to form a united front in support of Ukraine. There are fears that an agreement unfavorable to Kiev could be reached in Alaska. EU foreign ministers also met at the invitation of the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, in the presence of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The ministers"expressed support for the steps taken by the United States that will lead to a just peace in Ukraine," Kallas said."In the meantime, we are working on further sanctions against Russia, more military aid to Ukraine, and increased support for Ukraine's budgetary needs and the European Union accession process," he added. The meeting follows a series of contacts over the weekend, culminating in the August 9 meeting in the United Kingdom between European and American national security advisers, attended by Vance himself.